Robert Green is on the verge of receiving the sort of honour that would fill a more superstitious man with foreboding. The West Ham United goalkeeper is likely to make his competitive debut by starting Saturday's World Cup qualifier in Almaty. If he wishes to familiarise himself with all that can go wrong, Green has only to look at other members of the squad.

Scott Carson's one appearance in competitive action came in the defeat by Croatia at Wembley that cost England a place at Euro 2008. He was at fault for the opener. The coterie of goalkeepers here in Kazakhstan is made up by Paul Robinson, who has not been picked since an error presented Russia with a winner in ­October 2007. That paved the way for Carson's ­ill-fated selection the following month. "The confidence you have in yourself doesn't take history into account," said Green in an unconvincing bid to ignore the after-effects of painful lapses.

David James, a goalkeeper who has wavered in the past, is Capello's ­preference, but he is currently ruled out after ­shoulder surgery. The Portsmouth player will, in any case, turn 39 in August. Green, 29, feels that his time is ­approaching: "Under the new regime, you are going out in the belief that if you do your utmost you will be picked on merit."

It is his aim to be first choice at next year's World Cup. "You always think 'No1'," Green said. He is still too intelligent to be blatant about it and spoke admiringly of James. "You look at how he plays and take encouragement. Between now and the time I'm 39 I'll hopefully get a chance."

Goalkeepers cannot escape a more ­blatant rivalry than that. There is no means to rejig a line-up and accommodate both contenders. The period in the 70s and 80s when Ron Greenwood alternated between Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence looked weak-minded. It is certainly not Capello's style. Some highlight ­Manchester United's Ben Foster, who is recovering from thumb surgery, but he still needs to displace Edwin van der Sar and prove himself regularly in the Premier League.

If a great opportunity is approaching, Green has the wryness to stay calm. He was not included when the party was picked for Capello's first match, against Switzerland in February 2008. He reacted, in the next West Ham fixture, by wearing gloves with the words "England's No6" printed on them. Green insists that this was a self-deprecating joke rather than a reproach for the new England manager.

Nonetheless, Green does have a keen mind and had a shrewd response when the prospect was raised of Arsenal's ­Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia being included once he becomes eligible for ­British citizenship this summer. Rather than rant about the inappropriateness of this route to an England cap, Green pointed to the stress and scrutiny Almunia could bring on himself. "It's a highly pressurised position," he reflected. "If you're Spanish I think it could be even more so."

Green appreciates the fragility of his profession. Having been named in the party for the 2006 World Cup, a line had to be put through his name when he ­ruptured a groin muscle while taking a goal-kick during a B international. Maybe there is an echo of that in his personal appreciation of Gianfranco Zola's emphasis on ball retention at West Ham. "I feel my right leg isn't hurting so much at the end of the ­season because I haven't taken so many goal-kicks," Green said impishly.

It pleases him when he has the ball at his feet that team-mates come to receive a pass rather than anticipating a boot downfield. Still, it would be a misunderstanding to suppose that a goalkeeper is a team member like any other. He has more scope to reflect and feel regret.

"If something does happen you just stand there and the game is going on," said Green. "As an outfield player you get lost in the game again, you're everywhere running around. As a goalkeeper it's having the mentality to get on with the game and concentrate, as opposed to dwelling on it. That is the toughest part. That comes, ironically, from making mistakes. That is how you become a better player."

Native goalkeepers might appear to be struggling when the eight clubs who recently finished above West Ham have a foreigner in that position, but Green points to the fact that managers will search for cheaper candidates on the continent so that they can conserve the bulk of their budget for costly attackers. "I work at West Ham and we've got two Czech goalkeepers, a Hungarian, a Canadian and one 16-year-old English lad and a Czech goalkeeper coach," he reflected. "I'm in the minority."

By the same token, a wholly ­convincing English goalkeeper would be a priceless asset to Capello.